Wolfram and the Phoenix
by jinjyaa
Summary: On Cheri's wedding cruise, Wolfram takes a break from parenting, but doesn't return after he runs into a legendary Mazoku beast. Can Yuuri and the children find him?
1. Togetherness

Kyou Kara Maou : Wolfram Takes a Break

Summary: On Cheri's wedding cruise, Wolfram takes a break from parenting, but doesn't return. Can Yuuri and the children find him? Short sequel to The Pirate Wedding.

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou, of course.

Warnings: this _is_ a sequel – I'm not going to explain things or introduce people from The Pirate Wedding. But there are summaries and illustrations for all of these stories (click the homepage link on my author's profile).

_Please review._

Chapter 1 : Togetherness

"Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you to _bits_," Wolfram told Bertram, snuggling his face into the baby's tummy until he giggled. "Now go to Wimpue. I'll be back soon, yes I will." Wolfram shoved Bertram into Yuuri's hands, still dripping from his last ten trips down Cheri and Manfred's new hydrofoil's waterslide with Greta. Wolfram had waited on deck with Bertram, getting steadily angrier. "Here, Yuuri. The kiddie pool is warming, don't let him get sunburnt. I'm swimming to the island to look around. Be back in an hour… maybe three."

"Ah… that sounds like fun! I'll go with you!" said Yuuri. Year-old Mazoku baby Bertram, dressed only in a diaper in the August heat, glowered at him and began blowing bubbles on his lips.

Wolfram continued to the hydrofoil's diving platform without stopping. "Yuuri, the babies cling to me all day. Don't you start clinging, too." And with that, he executed a perfect dive off the hydrofoil into the deep aquamarine waters, and set off with a clean crawl stroke to the closest of the craggy black Khrennikov Fire Islands. He looked absolutely gorgeous. Yuuri desperately wished he were going with him, to frolic alone in those azure waters by a deserted island…

"Next time, you might give Wolfram a turn at the water slide," suggested Friedrich mildly, relaxing in Manfred's wheelchair on deck. He was modeling it being a perfectly reasonable place to sit, to urge Manfred use it more often under sail. Friedrich himself didn't need it in the slightest. Also dripping from the water slide, at age 783, Bertram's great-great-great grandfather Friedrich was in better physical shape than Yuuri himself. He looked to Yuuri's Earth-born eyes to be around 50, just a few silver highlights gracing his yellow-blond hair, compact and trim as Wolfram and Manfred. He'd swum a mile every morning of this vacation so far. "Mommies want to have fun, too."

"He doesn't like being called a Mommy," Yuuri replied, still holding Bertram at arm's length, bobbing him up and down a little in an attempt to improve his bubble-blowing mood.

"I don't blame him," said Friedrich. "But I'm not the one who treats him that way. Yuuri, you do realize you're pissing that baby off, don't you?" Friedrich got up and dived off the platform.

"Ah…" said Yuuri, who hadn't realised that.

"Ch. Chu!" demanded Bertram.

"Ah, Bertram," said Yuuri, clasping the baby to his bare wet chest with a sinking feeling. "Chichue's taking a break. You get to play with Wimpue – ah, otousan Yuuri for a while." _Dammit, now they've got _me _calling me Wimpue…_ It was truly heart-warming how bonded Wolfram and Bertram had become. And when it came to Wolfram sleeping in every morning, Bertram was promptly trained to accept substitutes. Other than that, though, he attached himself to his Chichiue Wolfram like a starfish.

"_Chuuuuu!_" moaned Bertram thinly, sounding heartbroken.

"Ah… Here's Greta! Hello, Greta, would you like to play with Bertram and me?"

Greta had just climbed up for another run down the waterslide. The year from eleven to twelve had brought big changes – her sexy white bikini top looked to be about a 34B. Yuuri had been horrified by this bikini, which Cheri gave her for the family vacation. Wolfram shrugged and said it looked great on her – which it did – to adolescent Efram's whole-hearted agreement. Yuuri meant to ask Manfred to have a chat with Efram about that.

"Sorry, Wimpue – I mean, Yuuri – Efram and I are –" The rest was cut off by Efram tackling her down the waterslide, face in her bikini top. _Maybe…_ I _should have a chat with Efram about that_, Yuuri thought with a sinking feeling. _Maybe… like, now…_

"Yuuri…" muttered Manfred, hobbling past on his way to the side. He yelled overboard to his son, "_Efram. _Inappropriate contact – you're _beached_, one hour. _Greta. _Next time, I'd better see a convincing objection, young lady." Yuuri couldn't make out the words wafting up from below, but the wheedling tone was unmistakable. "Want to make it two hours?" replied Manfred. The wheedling tone abruptly switched to apology.

"Chuu…" said Bertram sadly, and started to sniffle. Yuuri, deeply in accord with Bertram in missing Wolfram, snuggled him closer.

"Ah, thank you, Manfred," he said. "Um… Are you going to… um?"

"I'll speak to him." Manfred sat down on the wheelchair to chat. "You're in agreement? That any… kissing cousins thing… between those two would be a serious mistake? On a number of levels… Are you going to discuss it with Greta?"

"Ah…" Actually, Yuuri's mind was stalled, still refusing to wrap itself around the _'kissing cousins'_ comment.

"Would you like me or Cheri to discuss it with Greta?" Manfred persisted. "It takes two, Yuuri. Saying Efram's guilty and Greta's innocent is just _begging_ for trouble."

"Have a heart, Manfred," interjected Adelbert, sitting under an awning nearby, his huge frame looking completely incongruous huddled on the deck coloring with toddler Frieda. "We're still new to this, and Yuuri's only an adolescent himself. _I_ probably would have knocked them both into next week."

"A bit hypocritical, that," said Manfred. "I'm remembering a certain camping trip with your little purple-haired cousin from Walde – what was her name again, Adelbert?"

"Ah, yes, we _were_ about Efram's age, weren't we?" Adelbert grinned bashfully, scratching his head. "And she was about Greta's… shape."

Yuuri really didn't want to know what which of them did with the cousin from Walde. He especially didn't want this conversation delving further into sexual-firsts, his first and only being Wolfram, which didn't shed any obvious light on what to say to Greta. "I think… I should talk this over with Wolfram first, Manfred. Um… think the baby pool's warm yet, Adelbert?"

"Let's go try it," Adelbert replied, eager to grasp any excuse not to think about _boys like himself_ in Frieda's future. Manfred could handle things here. "We're really kinda pathetic without Wolfram around, aren't we?" he said, when they'd passed out of Manfred's hearing. Yuuri sadly agreed. So did Bertram and Frieda.

The pool was cold, and their fathers forgot to keep them out of the sun, but Bertram and Frieda let it pass.

-oOo-

Wolfram swam hard for the island, to work some anger out of his system. The first beach was occupied by Brendan von Gratz's family, having a daylong picnic. Brendan and Hilde – who took their kids camping about one week in four – rose at dawn to toss together their expedition. _We should –,_ Wolfram thought, but then he pictured how it would really go, with him doing all the work, completely inept compared to Hilde, while Yuuri and the adolescents played, until Wolfram blew up at the lot of them… Well, Yuuri was an adolescent, too, wasn't he? Wolfram was getting damned tired of being the only grown-up. _Well, everyone warned me, but I didn't want to hear it._

Freshly inspired into another anger-fueled stint of crawl stroke, he made it to the next inlet, but didn't look in. Conrad and Yozak's voices – well, moans – suggested company wasn't welcome. _Well, I could have brought Yuuri with me,_ he thought sadly. _We used to be sexy lovers. Now I'm a bitchy Mommy, and he's one of the kids. _Unhappy with that thought, he settled into a slower stroke for another island across the way – the first island's deserted shore wasn't nearly deserted enough, family all over the place. _No family. Just for a few hours, I want to escape family…_ The thought made him feel guilty – he loved them all so much! But…

His strength and anger were both about spent by the time he reached the second, truly deserted, island, much bigger than the one nearest the boat. He rested a few minutes on a little crescent of diamond-glittering black sand, the hydrofoil with all his nearest and dearest still in view. The mini-beach not offering much but scraped knees and a place to sit, he strapped on his heavy wet leather sandals to protect against the viciously sharp volcanic rocks, and started swim-scrambling his way around to the side of the island hidden from the hydrofoil and the other island.

After the third headland, he stopped and said, "_Oooh…_" No question – this was a view he hadn't seen before. It was possible that no one had seen it before. The Fire Islands were both wildlife preserve and under-charted navigational hazard. The price of admittance was a working vacation – Cheri's crew was surveying blank areas of Lord Khrennikov's master charts, with a coast guard captain along to supervise.

Wolfram's water view, an expanse ringed by larger islands, was dotted with small craggy spires and humps of tortured black rock. Some rogue current had striped the local black sand with white, showcasing the pure turquoise waters in bands with darker blue-green. The sheltered water was like glass, clear ripple rings emanating for yards from the leaps of iridescent flying fish, surface perfectly reflecting islands and birds and the few high puffy clouds. Some of the rocks held flocks of stately seabirds and squat knee-high penguins, others held seals sunning themselves. Beneath his feet, gaudy fish swam among colorful corals. He dipped a hand in, and cupped out six of the tiny clear jellyfish that phosphoresced at night in a rainbow of colors.

Wandering in toward the island from his little headland, Wolfram saw the inlet kept going into a lagoon, even more placid, with a hot spring burbling beside the pure sea water, beneath a tiny cool waterfall. Strange scarlet flowers and vivid foliage had managed to take root in crevices holding tiny bits of soil, and the shallow lagoon acted like a fish tank, offering an easy view of the multicolored fish.

Wolfram grinned. He felt like he'd finally arrived on vacation. All his grumbling, cranky, everybody-wants-something-from-me feelings vanished. He stripped his shorts and took a brief shower in the little freshwater waterfall, which tasted delicious. He lay down to float by the hot waters gushing into the lagoon from the hot spring, eyes closed, just feeling the cool and hot waters mix and lap around his body. He flipped over to gaze down at his fishy companions now and then.

After a while, grinning in delight, he put his shorts back on, added a scarlet flower to his hair just for fun, and set off to explore the interior of the island. He'd already been gone half of his promised three hours, but… He'd never come this way again. His maryoku was singing within him – this place seemed to be a mecca to the fire elementals. They'd been unusually strong on the other island, but he'd never felt their company as strongly as here. He felt far too good to worry about his family back on the ship. If he made it back by suppertime, that would be good enough. He scrambled up through the jagged black rocks, to see what he could see.

Over half an hour later, not far from another pretty lagoon with even prettier fresh waterfall, with dancing blue dragonflies, he stopped dead in his tracks. A stunning scarlet and gold plumaged bird was building a pile of sticks. Never, anywhere, had Wolfram felt the fire elementals this strong. He felt a tingling all over his skin, a faint version of the lapping of fire healing tendrils. Looking at his hand, he saw he was glowing a fire healer halo, all over, without even trying. Far from expending maryoku, he felt like he was recharging it, and overflowing. And it kept getting stronger, as though more and more fire elementals were swarming into this bay of rock by the lagoon. Even the few clumps of flowers and deep green leaves were beginning to glow orange halos.

Among the living things there, only the bird didn't glow. Three feet tall, with a three foot tail, colors like jewels and metallic gold, somehow the majestic bird looked tired. As everything else glowed stronger, its colors seemed to slowly dim. Suddenly Wolfram's eyes opened wide. Of course he'd seen that bird before, though only in pictures, usually stylized. The phoenix was the centerpiece of the von Bielenfeld family crest, the most powerful fire family of all the Mazoku.

And the phoenix was building a pyre.

He did consider going to get the family. To his knowledge, no one had seen a phoenix in living memory. And their awesome ceremony of rebirth happened only once in 500 years. But he had no idea how much time he had. And not for worlds would he miss seeing the phoenix light his pyre. He felt he'd been drawn to this spot as surely as the fire elementals, to pay homage. He settled in to watch and wait.

-oOo-

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	2. Chuuu!

Kyou Kara Maou : Wolfram Takes a Break

Summary: On Cheri's wedding cruise, Wolfram takes a break from parenting, but doesn't return. Can Yuuri and the children find him? Short sequel to The Pirate Wedding.

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou, of course.

_Please review._

Chapter 2 : _Chuuu!_

Wolfram had been gone nearly three hours when Bertram woke from his late nap in the most ornery mood Yuuri had ever seen him in. Ordinarily a pleasant, quiet child, the ship now rang with his panicked screams of "_Wi! Wi! Wi! Wi!_" until Yuuri picked him up. Bertram snuggled into his chest disconsolately.

"Aw, you were calling _me_ for a change, Bertram? What a sweetie you are." _'Wi'_ being Bertram's version of _'Wimpue'_ of course.

Bertram having caught his breath and calmed himself, he started yelling, _"Chu! Chu! Chu! Chu!"_

"That's a little hard on the ears, trickster," commented Manfred. "Yuuri, feed him or something…" And Yuuri changed him, and fed him. And the baby's demands for his Chichiue did mercifully abate while he slugged down his bottle. Only to return refueled the moment the bottle was empty.

_"Chuuuu!"_ Bertram whined disconsolately. _"Chu! Chu! Chuuu!"_

"Ah, Manfred?" asked Yuuri. "Could you look him over? Is he sick?"

Manfred sighed and sat down so he could take Bertram, who promptly switched back to, _"Wi! Wi! Wi! Wi!"_

"One perfectly healthy infant. Good lungs. A bit sunburnt. You need to keep fair-haired babies out of the sun, Yuuri." Manfred fixed the sunburn with ease, but the added heat just made Bertram more frantic for his _'Wi'_. "You're just_ spoiled_, aren't you, trickster? How about some nice mushy food? Yes, wouldn't decorating Yuuri with pureed carrots and spinach be fun? Try feeding him some solid food, Yuuri."

Although painting Yuuri's face and chest orange and green _was_ fun, Bertram still demanded his Chu. Yuuri was down on the baby pool platform, sadly sluicing them both down, when Brendan and Hilde and their kids returned in a dinghy. "Have you seen Wolfram?" he asked eagerly. It was suppertime, and Wolfram had been gone over four hours. Aside from his desperation to get Bertram to stop saying _'Chu!'_, Yuuri was beginning to get worried about Wolfram himself.

"Wolfram? Never saw him. We offered Gwendal and Annissina, and Conrad and Yozak, a ride, but they all plan to swim back with the jellyfish tonight. Nobody mentioned Wolfram."

In an hour and a half it would be dark. Yuuri really didn't like it that Brendan and Hilde hadn't seen Wolfram – that island wasn't very big. "Um, Brendan, please don't put up the dinghy quite yet, OK? I may want to go to shore and look for him."

Yuuri went back up top and looked out, still unable to see Wolfram. Bertram was getting a little quieter. "Chu?" he asked, almost conversationally. Yuuri nodded, "Yes, sweetie, we're looking for Chichiue." He got some binoculars from Manfred – he and Adelbert were eating by the binnacle – and scanned everything more carefully – still no sign of Wolfram.

"It'll be dark soon," said Adelbert sympathetically.

Manfred shrugged. "Most of us swim after dark here. The jellyfish glow at night." Seeing Yuuri was really working himself into a state, though, he added, "Of course, the dinghy's still down, and I'm sure the kids would enjoy it if you two took them for a row."

Greta and Efram overheard this, and jumped up saying, "Yay! Let's go!"

This wasn't quite the kind of rescue party Yuuri had in mind – he'd kinda gotten used to Conrad and Günter, eager to put heroic swords forward to his defense. But Adelbert shrugged and said, "We could do that."

Well, any rescue party was better than sitting aboard the hydrofoil worrying, and the chances of Yuuri getting his mind off Wolfram with Bertram chanting _'Chu, Chu, Chu!' _in his ear were pretty small. "Ah, Friedrich, could you take Bertram?"

Friedrich shrugged and took him. Bertram promptly switched back to the _'Wi! Wi! Wi! Wi!' _ that so reminded Yuuri of car alarms. "Go get shirts on first," Friedrich ordered Greta and Efram. Then Friedrich wandered off.

Adelbert and Yuuri packed some food and water and blankets into the dinghy. Then Greta and Efram came back with Friedrich, Bertram, and Frieda. Without a pause, all five climbed into the dinghy. Friedrich passed Bertram over to Yuuri, and settled himself in.

Bertram, predictably, switched from _'Wi! Wi! Wi! Wi!'_ to _'Chu! Chu! Chu!'_

After they'd all stared at each other a moment, Friedrich said, "So cast off. What are we waiting for?"

"Ah…" Yuuri was at a loss. "Actually, Friedrich, aha! I kinda meant, I was hoping you'd, um, babysit for Bertram? Here on the hydrofoil."

"We'd rather come along." Since no one else was moving in that direction, Friedrich simply untied the dinghy and shoved off. Adelbert, under long force of habit of obeying his powerful uncle, shrugged and started rowing. Friedrich continued, "In case Wolfram's hurt, it'd be good to have a healer along. And Bertram will make an excellent Chu-detector. Won't you, trickster?"

"Chu," Bertram agreed. And with that, and the boat's motion, Bertram mercifully shut up. He seemed to be enjoying the ride, beautiful aquamarine eyes wide, looking at everything, while he quietly sucked on a fist. Yuuri petted him, smiling. Now _this_ was the sweet baby Bertram he was used to.

"Chu, indeed," agreed Friedrich. "So Adelbert, aim between the two islands for now." Friedrich felt not the slightest qualm about giving orders to Adelbert, the one-time General of all Shin Makoku, or Yuuri the Maou. Though Adelbert had been trained from the cradle to obey Friedrich, Yuuri was still having some trouble with his little family outing being hijacked by this one-time political enemy. He'd been flabbergasted that Friedrich and Cheri had become friends during Manfred's year as ruling Lord Bielenfeld, and that Friedrich was thus invited along for the wedding cruise. And though Manfred and Cheri had paid a fair bit of attention to who others would get along with – Cheri's brother Stoeffel was _not_ invited – they hadn't worried a fig about _Yuuri_.

"Have you ever been to the Fire Islands before, Uncle Friedrich?" asked Greta, trying to ease the tension.

"Oh, yes, long ago. With my first wife – your Chichiue's great-great-grandmother. We came looking for healing herbs and maryoku beasts. Just before this island was born, I think."

"Did you find any? Maryoku beasts?" asked Efram.

"We spotted a chimera from far, far off – and sailed away as fast as we could. So our vacation was cut a bit short."

"Just before the_ island_ was born?" asked Greta. Yuuri was grateful to her for asking.

"Yes, fire chimeras appear before volcanic eruptions. The Fire Islands vary in age – I believe this part was born a few months after we left."

On Yuuri's timeline that would have been… back in the Japanese Kamakura period, he thought. Europe was still deep in the Dark Ages, long before discovering the Pacific Ocean. If Manfred intimidated him, he found Friedrich downright terrifying. For some reason, he could accept Undine and Ulrike's vast ages, because their lives were so sheltered and childlike. _Friedrich_ was no sheltered child priestess – not by a long shot.

The last slice of burning orange sunset dropped below the horizon as Greta and Efram continued grilling Friedrich on rare maryoku beasts and family history. As the light dimmed in the sky, the jellyfish began to glow, in the glassy waters around them, and dripping off the oars.

In a little while, Adelbert interrupted the kids. "Alright, which island? Try the closest one first?"

Though Adelbert intended this as a discussion opener, Friedrich replied with instructions. "Turn the boat toward the near island and take a couple strokes." Adelbert did so.

"_Chu! Chu! Chu! Chu!"_ wailed Bertram anxiously.

"Now turn and take a few strokes toward the far island." Adelbert did so.

"Chu," declared Bertram in satisfaction.

"I agree with Bertram," said Friedrich. "Wolfram's on the far island."

In amused disbelief, Adelbert said, "We're taking directions from an infant screaming _'Chu!'_? Surely you're joking, Uncle?"

"Absolutely serious. Bertram and I both feel the compulsion to go to _that_ island." He pointed. "Efram, how about you? Do you feel it?"

Efram frowned a little, puzzled. He considered the near island, and then the far, and started nodding in wonder. "Yeah… That's so strange. I want to go to the second island, too."

Sympathetically, Friedrich told Adelbert, "If your head needs something rational, Brendan _did_ say that none of them saw Wolfram on the first island."

"Though that's not why we're heading to the second island," sighed Adelbert. "That's for purely irrational reasons, is that right?"

"Call it what you will," said Friedrich.

"Call…" said Yuuri. "We should call for him! _WOLFRAMu!_" The close-ringed rocky islands on placid waters echoed back _'amu, amu, amu…'_.

"Hey, _I_ could call him. It's dark enough to show a flare now," suggested Efram. He cast his signature – a winged pixie – and grew it forty feet high. Greta and Yuuri and Adelbert applauded. Frieda giggled. Bertram stared in awe, fist firmly in mouth. But Efram frowned. "Ah… Uncle? I only meant to cast that half as tall, and not nearly so bright. And I feel like I have more maryoku now than before I started."

Friedrich smiled wide and nodded, as though he'd expected that. He tossed his own signature up a towering sixty feet high – a stylized phoenix, from the von Bielenfeld family crest. "I'd say you're right, Efram." Friedrich didn't even bother to take his phoenix down right away – just let it tower above them for a couple minutes to light up the area. "I could keep that up all night. That would make it hard to see a response, though." He took down his orange-and-blue phoenix.

And as Friedrich's phoenix died back, sure enough, a Beautiful Wolfram flower, fifty feet high, blossomed above the island. Yuuri and the children gaped in awe – not only was the flower vast, it was _bright_! As the blossom faded, in its place, a fiery bird sign arose, tail oddly pointed into the sky, beak toward the back side of the island.

"_Chuuuu."_ Bertram breathed, happily reaching toward where the bird had been.

"Chu, indeed, trickster," agreed Friedrich thoughtfully. "But… a phoenix? And not a Bielenfeld phoenix, but… Shinou be praised!" Friedrich half-rose on a knee and faced out the back of the dinghy. "Elementals that dwell in flame, help this thy faithful servant, to call those who would join you to pay homage!" And across the sky, Friedrich wrote seven Bielenfeld phoenixes, in orange and blue fire, flying toward the second island.

From the hydrofoil, Manfred and Aldrich responded with more modest, but clearly visible signatures – Manfred a yacht under full sail, Aldrich a wind-sculpted cypress, both in orange and blue fire.

Friedrich sat back in his seat, and said quietly, in great anticipation, "Row faster, please, Adelbert. Around the island to the right, to where the beak of Wolfram's phoenix hit the water." Adelbert bent his back to it in earnest.

"Ah… what's going on, Friedrich?" asked Yuuri.

"I believe Wolfram's spotted a phoenix, and doesn't want to leave it. I just hope we're in time."

"In time for what? Is Wolfram in danger?"

Friedrich laughed softly. "Only of seeing one of the most wondrous sights of my life – a phoenix, being reborn."

-oOo-

The stars came out as the dusk died, seemingly close enough to touch. The jellyfish glowed throughout the waters – yellow, orange, green, blue, and pink – dripping from the blades of Adelbert's oars. And as they came closer to where Wolfram continued sending up his pointing phoenix now and then, the three fire healer Mazoku aboard the dinghy, including Bertram, began to glow, overflowing with maryoku. Frieda, on Efram's lap, was giggling and playing with the halo on Efram. Greta shyly brushed a hand up his arm as well to feel it.

Yuuri, long since used to flinching up a protection spell when Bertram got fiery, was pleasantly surprised that this overflow fire halo didn't scorch. It felt like a mild form of Wolfram's fire healing tendrils. He bent down and kissed Bertram's belly the way he liked. Bertram giggled and touched Yuuri's face. When Wolfram touched Yuuri in healing, his passion burned through – raw desire, love, loyalty, fierceness. In Bertram's touch, he felt… love for Yuuri… an oceanic calm assurance… a vast sense of humor. He laughed softly and kissed his son again tenderly. "Pleased to meet you, Bertram," he whispered.

He turned to Friedrich. "Ah, may I… touch your halo, Friedrich? To compare?"

Friedrich shrugged. "Certainly." He held out a hand, and Yuuri touched his fingertips. Friedrich's fire was odder still – quiet assured power, an implacable will to protect and heal, with almost no tinge of personality.

"Huh. Thank you. Efram, may I…?"

"Sure." Efram handed Frieda to Greta for a moment and reached for Yuuri over Adelbert's shoulder, from the front of the dinghy. Adelbert stopped rowing for a few moments to permit this, and used the break to touch the three fire Mazoku himself, curious as to what Yuuri was feeling. Efram took Yuuri's hand in a firm handclasp. His fire passion was like unbridled joy in living, a riotously bounding curiosity.

"Huh," said Adelbert. "It's all fire healer passion, but… you're all so different from each other, and from Manfred and Aldrich."

Friedrich nodded calmly. "Of course. Row faster, please, Adelbert? We can't be late, not for this. You wouldn't want Manfred to beat us there, would you?"

Adelbert laughed and redoubled his efforts. Yuuri wouldn't have thought Manfred beating them there was possible. But as he looked back to the hydrofoil, he saw a black silouette already skipping toward them across the jellyfish glowing waters – Cheri's little sailing skiff, wind delivered with pinpoint accuracy into its sails. Their only hope of beating them was that Conrad and Yozak, and Gwendal and Annissina, had swum out upon seeing the light shows, and were calling for a lift. Doubtless Cheri would stop to pick them up.

-oOo-

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	3. Homage

Kyou Kara Maou : Wolfram Takes a Break

Summary: On Cheri's wedding cruise, Wolfram takes a break from parenting, but doesn't return. Can Yuuri and the children find him? Short sequel to The Pirate Wedding.

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou, of course.

_Please review._

Chapter 3 : Homage

The dinghy and the sailing skiff ended up reaching Wolfram's lagoon about the same time. Adelbert's less-maneuverable dinghy – well, compared to the way _Cheri_ sailed a boat – went in first. Efram slipped off the boat and pulled it to the side of the lagoon near Wolfram, where he could stand about waist-deep. Yuuri handed Bertram to him while he slipped into the water himself. Then he reclaimed the quiet wide-eyed baby and cautiously clambered toward Wolfram, who sat with his back to the lagoon, gazing rapt at his fellow audience members.

Wolfram and the fire elementals were only the first of the fire maryoku creatures drawn to the bay of black rock by the lagoon this night. By now the ground was alive with shining fire salamanders. A family of fire foxes sat near Wolfram, pixies hovering overhead. Yuuri didn't know the names for most of the other creatures, large and small, who ringed the pyre. He hoped none was a fire chimera. They all seemed to be coexisting peacefully for this event. He stepped carefully over the salamanders, and touched Wolfram on the shoulder, noticing that he himself, too, now glowed with a fire halo.

Wolfram looked up in surprised delight, and eagerly reached for Bertram. He exchanged a kiss as Yuuri sat down beside and embraced him. Then Wolfram looked back and waved at everyone in the lagoon, a smile of pure joy on his face. His red flower – it looked like an Earth hibiscus, though it wasn't – was still in his hair.

Adelbert and Frieda and Greta and Efram came and joined Wolfram and Yuuri on the ground, Greta and Frieda sharing Adelbert's lap to Wolfram's left, Efram hugged in Yuuri's arm to his right. Friedrich elected to stay alone in the dinghy. Yozak and Conrad, Gwendal and Annissina, all bailed out of the overcrowded skiff to watch from the lagoon's edge. On the skiff, Manfred lay holding Cheri. Aldrich and his wife Glynda held their adorable son Dietrich and his agemate Trenton von Gratz. Gisela held Murata, Brendan held Hilde, and the single Günter von Krist and Ted von Trondheim sat rapt, side by side. Cheri effortlessly nudged skiff and dinghy into perfect broadside views, and kept them there. All the living watchers – Mazoku or not – glowed fire halos.

No one spoke. A few more fire beasts wandered in. The fire foxes, miffed at being displaced by the invasion of Wolfram's family, wandered back to sit in front of them, the vixen boffing Wolfram in the nose with her haughty tail. He laughed. Her kits, a bit keyed up, climbed onto the men's laps to examine their children more closely, to the children's delight. Frieda grabbed a kit, and Adelbert hastily detached him and returned him to his mama. The kit investigating Bertram touched noses with him. He patted the kit roughly, but the fox understood. Efram eventually managed to coax a pixie into alighting on his arm for a few seconds, to their mutual delight. The salamanders respected no personal boundaries, and scuttled over Yuuri's feet and legs several times. He was too distracted with his own little corner of wonders to watch similar interactions with the others back in the lagoon.

The star of the show, the phoenix, was a grey shadow of the jewel-like bird Wolfram had first sat down to watch. His pyre built, he came around to briefly touch each maryoku beast in the clearing, and treated the people the same as the beasts – Mazoku, human, or in between. Yuuri did look back toward the lagoon watchers for that. The tired greyed phoenix didn't fly, but rather walked tiredly across the water. He paused especially long with Friedrich, Aldrich, Manfred, Cheri, and Conrad.

When the phoenix touched Yuuri, he felt he was being asked a regret, something that grieved him. It was all nonverbal, but the regret that flew out of Yuuri's heart to the phoenix was _time_ – that his time was out of sync with Wolfram and Bertram, that he must age and die and leave them behind still young.

Yuuri and company had been there about an hour, not bored in the slightest, when the phoenix finished his rounds and walked to his pyre. With no further ado, he climbed to the top, faced the audience, and suddenly turned himself into a living torch. Yuuri hadn't expected this would _hurt!_ A cry of anguish escaped him and everyone else, even the salamanders keening, from nearly physical pain of loss and grief. The fiery pyre burned hot and fierce and fast, expended in half a minute. A last spark flew up into the sky, and all was dark.

The fire maryoku vanished from the rock bay. No one glowed. The fire Mazoku felt suddenly drained, though not to the point of losing consciousness. In the August night, suddenly all were chilled. Fire was warmth, and light, and passion, and energy. Its absence was grief, and dark, and cold, and death. Yuuri and all the others sobbed for the death of the fire of life. Even the jellyfish dimmed in the lagoon, the stars above cold and ungiving.

And a tapping grew. At first, the sounds of grief all but hid the fragile sound, but it grew, more and more forcefully, and the sounds of grief died back into a hush of anticipation, huddled in the cold. A crack brought sudden light, gleaming through a fissure in a giant egg that rested where the phoenix pyre had burned to ashes. A few more taps and out stepped the phoenix, brighter and more resplendant than when Wolfram had first seen him. In moments, he grew back to full size, fire maryoku pulsing out from him in sheets of energy. All the people and maryoku beasts took on their overflowing fire halos again. Then the phoenix took flight, straight up, and disappeared.

The people all cheered. The maryoku beasts slipped away into the night. Wolfram was still crying, and Adelbert and Efram as well. Wolfram and Adelbert exchanged a hug, then Adelbert got up, taking Greta and Frieda with him back to the lagoon. Though the rest lost their halos as the fire elementals dispersed, all the fire Mazoku still overflowed, including Bertram and Efram, their maryoku hypercharged, so Yuuri was bathed in the energy of three fire healer halos where he sat hugging his dearest demons.

Efram pulled himself together first, and got up, reaching down for Bertram. "I'll take him," he said. Wolfram and Yuuri gave Bertram a kiss, then Bertram held his arms up and happily went to Efram, who took him to the skiff to visit with Manfred.

Yuuri chuckled. "You know, that baby hasn't stopped demanding '_Chu! Chu! Chu!'_ since you left. And now – _'OK, sure, let's play with Efram'_. Oy…"

Wolfram laughed. "Maybe I spoil him a little. He's a willful little guy. Yuuri… I'm sorry I worried you. I just… saw the phoenix, and couldn't leave…"

"I'm glad you didn't. That was amazing! I'm sure none of us would have missed it for anything." Yuuri added thoughtfully, "I wonder, if that was all of it."

"Mm," agreed Wolfram. "I don't know, but I know what you mean. Something's different. It was like the phoenix took something from us, to die with him, and be reborn as something else. Yuuri… I'm sorry I stalked off like that. I wish I'd brought you with me. We're parents, yes, but… I don't want the two of us to ever give up being playmates and lovers together, you know?"

Yuuri smiled. In the dark by the ashes of the pyre, the only light came from Wolfram's aura, so the smile was lit only for him. "Me, too, love. I can't really say that I want to grow up faster. I'll grow up and grow older faster than you'd like already." He played with the red flower still adorning Wolfram's hair, smiling at how beautiful he looked, dressed in nothing but shorts and flower and some sandals. "I'll never give up trying to be better at the parenting thing, even though you'll forever be better at it than I am – you spend more time at it. But even while I'm still an adolescent, I still want to be your lover and friend, too, more than anything."

"Wolfram! Yuuri!" Cheri called from the skiff. "We're going to put the kids to bed, then come back here for an adult swim. See you then, if you want a ride back."

Wolfram and Yuuri smiled. Wolfram answered, "Thank you, Hahaue! Oh, but… not here. There's a better lagoon, with a hot spring, a few headlands that way." He pointed. "Let's leave this place… special. OK?"

"OK, Wolfie. We'll find you."

Efram commandeered the dinghy and dragged Greta and Trenton and Dietrich into his schemes. Adelbert and Frieda and Friedrich joined the skiff company. Bertram was already asleep in Manfred's arms. Yozak and Conrad decided they'd had enough water and wanted some food, so joined Efram's dinghy, much to Efram's disgust – he'd wanted to run that show himself. But there wasn't enough room in the skiff for all the adults, and Glynda and Hilde wanted to get Dietrich and Trenton to bed soon – they wanted to join the adult swim. Gwendal and Annissina stayed in the water, but got a tow from the skiff toward the other lagoon, Gisela and Murata joining them.

"Shall we?" asked Yuuri.

"No," said Wolfram. "Please, Yuuri – let's explore our way there together, alone for a while."

Yuuri smiled. "Yeah. Let's."

So all their nearest and dearest departed, leaving Wolfram and Yuuri alone in the hallowed place of the phoenix's rebirth. As soon as the boats were well away, Yuuri gently drew Wolfram to the lagoon, divested them of their shorts, and made love to his glowing demon lover amidst the shining jellyfish. And when they were ready to go, they saluted the ashes of the phoenix somberly as they left his lagoon. Then they both played like adolescents, laughing and swim-scrambling their way over the headlands and across the inlets, back to the lagoon of the hot spring to join the bawdy midnight adult swim.

-oOo-

There were gifts given that night, to all who came to pay homage at the rebirth of the phoenix – some griefs redeemed by the phoenix himself, others wishes granted by the other mazoku beasts at the celebration. Some realized what they'd received within days. Some took longer, some _much_ longer.

-oOo-

Cheri and Manfred were married at the phoenix's pyre, in a very small, quiet ceremony. Yuuri performed the wedding. Other than him, only the couple's sons attended – Wolfram, Efram, Bertram, Conrad, and Gwendal. The reception, of course, was being held all week, partying with all their nearest and dearest on the hydrofoil.

Cheri and Manfred both felt a strong kinship with the phoenix. The lives they bore when they first fell in love before Wolfram was born, their careers as Maou and military commander, had crashed and burned. With their marriage, at long last, they wanted a rebirth, to create their lives anew out of the ashes.

-oOo-

The following day marked the one year anniversary of Manfred's sudden rise to ruling Lord Bielenfeld – the first day it was legal for him to resign from the job. He asked Cheri to bring himself, Friedrich, Aldrich, and Wolfram to the phoenix lagoon again, then to wait with the skiff until someone swam out to call her.

They clambered up into the black stone bay, Wolfram and Friedrich helping lame Manfred and one-armed Aldrich, though Manfred seemed to be walking easier than even a few days before. Manfred led them to ring the ashes of the phoenix.

"Are we in agreement," Manfred began, "that one of the four of us, and no other, should rule Bielenfeld?" The others nodded somberly. "Then as Lord Bielenfeld, I wish for the four of us to decide, together, who should rule from today forward, and lead our family and domain."

Wolfram was surprised. He thought they'd come here to just add a little ceremony to his father handing the baton to Aldrich. Friedrich voiced it. "The responsibility and authority are yours, Manfred. You decide."

Manfred nodded. "I agree. But I choose to decide by seeking counsel."

Aldrich was the first to nod thoughtful agreement. "If I were to be chosen, I'd want the whole-hearted support of the von Bielenfeld. I like your style, Manfred."

Manfred nodded his thanks, and said, "Then I'll start. I haven't disliked ruling Bielenfeld as much as I thought I would. Should the rule fall to me again, I will serve willingly and faithfully. But it is not what I want, not my vocation. I believe someone whose heart is in it, would be a better choice. But standing before me, I see _three_ men, not one, who have the vocation to rule.

"Wolfram, you're my son and heir. You love politics. You were trained to rule. Although raised outside Bielenfeld, and perfectly free to choose your allegiances, you have consistently _chosen_ to serve Bielenfeld. If I pass the domain to Friedrich or Aldrich, it is unlikely to pass your way again. So I ask you – do you want Bielenfeld?"

Caught surprised, Wolfram took a few moments with it before answering. "I think… if Bielenfeld should fall to me, I'd rule it willingly and well. In fact…" He trailed off.

"Just be honest, son. Speak your heart," said Manfred. Friedrich and Aldrich nodded agreement – they wanted to hear what he had to say.

Wolfram gathered his courage and said, "In truth, in a hundred years, I would love to rule Bielenfeld. But today? I couldn't leave Yuuri and our children. Today my heart lives at Blood Pledge Castle."

"Thank you. And who would you choose as our next ruler, if not you?"

A lot of tactful hedged answers crossed Wolfram's mind. But he elected to speak the simple truth. "Aldrich."

"Thank you." Manfred turned to Aldrich next. "And you, Aldrich? Where does your heart lie?"

"I want to rule Bielenfeld," he answered directly. "I've been the heir for my entire adult life. I've trained for it, and I believe I'm good at it. The year's break from being heir was very enjoyable. But remaining heir instead of ruler… would be alright."

"Mm, why would that be alright?" prodded Manfred. "You deposed your father a year ago – yet you say it would be 'alright' with you to give the domain back to him?"

Aldrich looked away. "I want the domain. And I love my father. I believe he'd keep me as his heir, because I'm his best choice. And though I don't always agree with him, and I wish he'd be less autocratic – we aren't children anymore, Chichiue. Still, you are the best qualified of us. And… I love you, and I want you to stick around."

"Thank you for your candor, Aldrich." Manfred turned to Friedrich next. "Uncle, you ruled long and well. I ask you – do you want it back?"

"No, I don't," answered Friedrich. "Don't get me wrong – it took me most of this year to let go, but… Like you, Manfred, I wasn't raised to rule, and my heart wasn't in it. I was happy as a healer, and inherited the domain by sudden disaster. I've spent this year teaching Manfred healing and to rule. I enjoyed the healing more and more, and the rule less and less. What I want, is to teach healing at the Institute. My advice, since you ask it, is that you pass the domain to Aldrich. And to you personally… You can heal and teach anywhere, Manfred, and Cheri would be happier if you lived mostly outside Bielenfeld. Your heart lies with her."

Manfred nodded agreement. "Thank you, Uncle. I agree. Then we are in accord. Aldrich, you have our full support. I abdicate, and declare you Lord Bielenfeld. Who is your heir?"

Aldrich looked a question at Wolfram. Wolfram shook his head, and extended his hand. "Raise Dietrich well. I offer myself and my heir Bertram as your loyal vassals. My liege."

Aldrich shook his hand with a smile. "For now. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you or Bertram becomes our next Maou. I shall treasure your service, Lord Wolfram." Wolfram didn't gainsay him. Privately, he agreed. _But please – let it be a long, long time from now, let me have as long with Yuuri as I can…_

They shook hands all around, bowed to the ashes of the phoenix, and left, the nobles von Bielenfeld unified and renewed, under their new leader, Lord Aldrich.

Wolfram decided he should take these little parenting breaks more often. They did wonders to clear his mind.

-oOo-

Author's note:

The cheery little story ended here, but there is another chapter, about the eventual fate of Wolfram and Yuuri's grief given to the phoenix.

I love reviews… They encourage me to write more.

_Please review._


	4. A Late Redemption

Kyou Kara Maou : Wolfram Takes a Break

Summary: On Cheri's wedding cruise, Wolfram takes a break from parenting, but doesn't return. Can Yuuri and the children find him? Short sequel to The Pirate Wedding.

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Kyou Kara Maou, of course.

**_Warning:_** tear-jerker…. I actually wrote this several weeks ago, and then sat on it, not sure that it really fit to add a tear-jerker ending to the sweet little phoenix story. This doesn't stand alone, either, of course. But maybe… it just shouldn't be told. Well, let me know what you think…

_Please review._

Chapter 4 : A Late Redemption

As time passed, Wolfram was profoundly reassured every time he remembered the phoenix, that the grief he handed to the phoenix to put on the pyre that day – that Yuuri would live such a short time, would die so soon – that the phoenix would redeem that grief with a miracle. The miracles the phoenix brought for others unfolded – Manfred's leg completely restored to health, Aldrich's arm regenerated, and other wonders. And Wolfram took this as proof positive that the phoenix would redeem his grief, and Yuuri would live as long as Wolfram.

But as more time passed, Wolfram came to loathe the phoenix, and people learned not to speak of it in his presence. Indeed, when a middle-aged Yuuri told young Bertram the story, of how Bertram the Chu-detector found Wolfram and the phoenix, Bertram didn't believe him – if it were a true story, surely his Chichiue would have told him. Yuuri had run a hand through his thinning, greying hair, and agreed that Bertram was right, and tucked him into bed with a kiss. It was probably just as well that Bertram not bring it up with Wolfram, who felt so deeply betrayed. And so far as Yuuri knew, the phoenix had done Bertram no favors, either.

Yuuri himself, like most of them, gained the ability to use fire maryoku at any time. But he was pretty sure the gift was one of brotherhood from the fire elementals, not the phoenix. What had fire majutsu to do with Yuuri's grief? Nothing. Cheri could do some cool tricks combining her wind and newfound fire abilities. And fire majutsu was awesome for those present who had never wielded powers before. But for Yuuri, fire and water were an either-or sort of thing. And the von Bielenfelds had always been firebugs.

As Yuuri grew older, Wolfram didn't seem to age at all. He claimed this was natural to his ancestry – after all, Friedrich was still going strong well past the 800 mark. And though that may have been part of it, Yuuri privately suspected it was _his_ fault – that by using 96 pirate lives, plus a generous amount of his own life-force, to build a maryoku transfusion to save Wolfram's life during the pirate affair, he had perhaps extended it beyond all reason. Those pirates probably had a good 5000 years of life left, added together, plus that bit off of Yuuri's own short lifespan. Yuuri didn't dare share this thought with Wolfram. It was hard enough on him that he didn't age. The adolescent levels of desire and lust that Manfred called _'testosterone poisoning', _ which normally settled down soon after the Mazoku century mark, didn't diminish at all in Wolfram. That same moderating of desire happened in Yuuri less than a decade after the phoenix.

Yuuri did mention, once, that perhaps it was his fault that the phoenix hadn't helped them. He hadn't felt grief about aging back then – only the abstract worry that Wolfram and Bertram would outlive him, still young. _That_ conversation had gone very badly indeed. Yuuri was in his late fifties then, and hadn't made love to Wolfram in over a month. It was at that point that Wolfram moved into his own bedroom, and started taking lovers. They managed to save their marriage – the two still deeply loved each other. Every few months, Yuuri managed to make love to him. But Wolfram stayed in his separate bedroom, where he continued to bring his lovers. None of them lasted long. He dismissed them after a half year at most. Yuuri sourly wondered what advancement they got out of it. But in truth, they expected and received nothing but the enchanting Wolfram's company. If they fell in love with him by accident, well, he broke it off with _those_ quickly.

Yuuri didn't age well at all. There were plenty of aging humans in this world, but to look as old as he did by age 60, they were well over 100, and few of them had reason to dwell in Shin Makoku. Mazoku and half-Mazoku almost never looked as old as Yuuri. His hair was steel grey, his joints arthritic, his face heavily lined. His short-term memory was failing. He leaned ever more heavily on Wolfram, by then his Chancellor of 15 years. After he had a mild heart attack at 61, and found himself dropping off to sleep in important meetings, he declared himself semi-retired, and Wolfram ran the country outright. The healers suggested that he avoid heavy exertion, including sexual activity. They didn't make love again.

The end came suddenly, at age 63, 45 years after the rebirth of the phoenix. There was a heavy blizzard, dumping nearly three feet of snow on Blood Pledge Castle. Yuuri went out in the dazzling snow afterwards to play with the kitchen maids' children, and shoveled snow to build a fort. He had a massive heart attack, and was dead before the children could even set off to fetch a healer.

-oOo-

And there was dark, and cold, and grief. His life passed before his eyes, and he saw much that was good, much he was proud of, much that he loved. Of regrets, there were a few, but one outshone all others – a beautiful tousled blond head, emerald green eyes gazing at him in love, a pink nightgown slipping off one shoulder, a crooked smile begging to be kissed. _Oh, Wolfram… I'm so sorry, my love… _He wasn't even sure if he was sorry he died too soon, or sorry he'd lived too long, after he'd ceased to be Wolfram's lover. But he was ever so sorry.

And into this dark cold void of grief, a spark appeared, fiery red-orange. This was nothing like what Yuuri had come to expect of death. The spark came to him, entered the core of his being, and burst into flame, consuming his entire body.

There was no pain from the fire. His soul remained, a spark suspended in flame. His grief was gone, but a wish remained. The phoenix appeared to him then, and showed him what the phoenix had seen that night 45 years ago. Yuuri as an 18-year old, arms around young Efram and Wolfram, Wolfram with a red flower in his hair, holding darling Bertram. As before, he felt the phoenix read his heart.

-oOo-

With a start, Yuuri found himself standing in the deep snow of the inner courtyard, where he'd been playing with the children, wearing nothing but wet swimming trunks and leather sandals. _"Yow!_ _It's cold!"_ he exclaimed, and ran into the castle.

The halls were deserted – it was clearly well past midnight. Teeth chattering, he walked into the nearby laundry and dried off and warmed up with a blanket. He found some of his clothes, left there to dry overnight, and started to put them on. It was only then that it really registered – he had his 18-year-old body back. It appeared to be the night of the day that he died, at age 63. But his body had been restored exactly to the night of the phoenix's rebirth. He put on his ill-fitting black clothes and found a mirror down the hall. It was true. And if he were a ghost, he was a strangely solid one, who could put on these oversized clothes.

_Wolfram! I have to see Wolfram!_ He bounded up the stairs two at a time in his stocking feet, to the top floor, down the hall, and up another flight in the turret, to Wolfram's room, and stopped dead at the door. _What if he isn't alone?_ A lot of pain came rushing back at that thought, but once looked at, he put it aside. _Wolfram is my husband._ He knocked briefly, and entered, idly _whooshing_ on the lights. His fire maryoku still worked.

The room was deserted, half-packed. The closet hung open – Wolfram's clothes were gone, only a spare Walde uniform remaining. Yuuri sighed. _So Joaquim really is his latest lover._ This morning's Yuuri couldn't climb all those stairs – one of the reasons Wolfram had selected this turret room.

_But then where's Wolfram? He should be with our children…_ Yes, that was the plan. When Yuuri died in his 80's, Bertram and Efram, maybe even Frieda and Greta, would be there to comfort him, to help him carry on. But in the event, Greta was queen of far-off Adreshulde, having married herself a handsome prince, with several adult children of her own now. Frieda was off with Conrad's Rangers, her territory in Dai Cimmarron. Bertram and Efram were with Manfred and Cheri and Friedrich this winter, at the Bielenfeld Majutsu Institute, Bertram studying and Efram teaching. _Oh, poor Wolfram, I have to find him…_

_But, maybe I should wait until morning. If I don't know where to look… Well, he might be in my bedroom…_ Avoiding the few guards in the corridors, Yuuri went to his own room. He _whooshed_ a light on, and then stopped. Wolfram was on the bed.

Wolfram lay mostly out of the covers, dressed in an old pink nightgown. Yuuri came up to the bedside and gazed at him. The pillow, currently migrated under his left knee, was sodden with tears. He clutched Yuuri's favorite family portrait – Wolfram and Yuuri, with Efram and newborn Bertram and Greta and two-year-old Frieda, taken just after they acquired the babies. Yuuri gently took the portrait from him and put it on the nightstand. Wolfram wore jewelry to bed, something he never did. _Ah. The anniversary gifts I gave him every tenth year. _He looked achingly beautiful, achingly sad even in sleep. And Yuuri felt the stirrings of desire within himself, at their old 18-year-old shocking levels.

He changed into his pajamas and climbed into bed. He ran a hand down the luscious pink-clad form, and the even more intoxicating bare thigh and leg that had escaped the nightgown. Wolfram moaned in his sleep and rolled toward him, returning the caress.

Yuuri kissed him, and murmured, "Wolfram, wake up, love."

"Mmm, Yuuri, make love to me," Wolfram murmured back, throwing his arms around Yuuri's neck and drawing him into a long, deep kiss. He chuckled softly, "I don't usually dream of you at this age… You were so sweet…"

"Ah, Wolfram? You're not dreaming. It's really Yuuri. Wake up, love. I died, but the phoenix… he returned my body to the age when we saw him die and be reborn."

Wolfram hit him in anguish and rolled away, to hug a pillow sobbing. "No more damned phoenix dreams! I just want to make love to Yuuri again, you _stupid_ dream!" This fell off into racking sobs.

Yuuri saw with cool clarity that there was no way to persuade Wolfram that he wasn't dreaming. And indeed, why bother? Sooner or later, he'd realize that on his own. _And then probably hit me again,_ Yuuri thought wryly. So he ever so gently caressed Wolfram again, a kiss where he detached the neck-chain, a kiss to detach each ear-cuff, kisses sliding a shoulder free of the pink nightgown, until Wolfram stopped sobbing and rolled over to kiss him back and rid him of his pajamas.

"Frustrating dream. Usually the clothes just disappear when I want them to," muttered Wolfram, fumbling at a button. Yuuri sat him back and pulled Wolfram's nightgown over his head, then his own pajama shirt. He kneeled up to pull down the pajama bottoms and Wolfram tackled him back down to the bed. "Mmm, I should dream about you at this age more often…"

Yuuri hadn't made love to Wolfram in way too long. His desire that had waned so long ago, was suddenly restored to its lifetime highest levels. Any thought of telling Wolfram anything fled his mind as he made love in earnest, twice, until they fell asleep at last, sated, in each other's arms.

-oOo-

"_EEEEK!"_

Yuuri bolted awake to Wolfram's sharp scream. Wolfram was flung back on his elbows and heels, staring at Yuuri, mouth open wide. Wintry early morning sun filtered in the windows. "Are you… a ghost?"

Yuuri sat up, rubbing his hair. "Ah… I told you last night, but you insisted I was a dream, and you wanted your dream to stop talking and make love to you, and…" He grinned sheepishly. "Ah, I really wanted to make love to you, too, so…."

"You… Yuuri… you…" Wolfram's face was crumpling into sobs. Yuuri pulled him close and held him. "Are you… you can't be… the phoenix? You… came back… to me? It's really you?"

Yuuri held him tight and kissed him and caressed him, murmuring, "I love you. Yes, it's really me. And oh, I love you." Eventually Wolframs sobbing died back a bit. Yuuri added, "No more Joaquim, OK? You're mine, Wolfram, and I'm yours."

Wolfram fisted him gently. "Of course! I already sent word I never wanted to see him again. I never wanted anybody but you, Yuuri, not from the day I met you. You just… you didn't want… me anymore…" And Yuuri held him through another round of shuddering sobs. "Oh, Yuuri, if I can have you, I don't ever want anybody else…"

"Same here, love. And I want you, oh, I want you so much. Wolfram… let's make love again."

Wolfram laughed softly and wiped his eyes. "I'll need to heal myself up first. That's how I finally realized you weren't a dream. I don't get _sore_ from dreams."

Yuuri laughed and pushed him gently to the bed. "Allow me." And he did a healing spell, and Wolfram did a little healing, and they made love again, slowly and wonderously. At last, lying on Wolfram's naked breast,Yuuri mentioned, "Ah, Wolfram? I guess you would have told the kids I'm dead… Maybe we should do something about that."

"Oh. Knowing Hahaue, Bertram and Efram are probably here by now. But Chichiue would have told them to let me sleep. Conrad and Gwendal came last night. Günter… I hope he hasn't sent the letters yet to Frieda and Greta."

Yuuri finished washing and getting dressed first, and idly went to look at his favorite portrait again. Only then did he notice the nightstand also held a dagger and a large bottle of hard liquor, both unused. Light drinker that he was, if Wolfram had downed the whole bottle, it would have killed him. He tenderly hid both implements of suicide.

They shared a deep kiss and full-body embrace before they left the room. As they walked out, Wolfram held Yuuri's hand so anxiously, he didn't realize Yuuri was clutching his back just as tight.

-oOo-

Yuuri hung back a little as Wolfram burst into the dining room, where Cheri and Manfred stood talking quietly to Bertram and Efram. They all immediately enveloped him in hugs. Tears were pouring down his cheeks. It was Efram who first noticed Yuuri, and pulled back to stare, puzzled. It was Cheri who first said, _"Yuuri!?"_ and Manfred who first pulled him into a hug. Wolfram, overcome with emotion, could only nod.

Bertram, still clasped tightly to Wolfram, didn't understand. Yuuri came up to him slowly, and said, "Bertram, it's me, Yuuri Otousan. I… died. But the phoenix brought me back. To how I was the night we saw the phoenix reborn."

Bertram frowned and looked up at Wolfram, who nodded, still holding the boy tight. Bertram huddled in Wolfram's arms, and accused, "Yuuri Otousan made that story up. He said so."

"No. It was a true story. But when I… got old, Chichiue Wolfram got very angry at the phoenix. He thought the phoenix had redeemed every grief except ours. So, I agreed it was just a story, so you wouldn't upset him."

Bertram still frowned at him. Yuuri had seen him just a few weeks ago, the same yellow-blond hair, with yellow-green roots in winter that lightened to pure yellow in the summer sun. His face and eyes, shaped so similarly to Wolfram and Efram's, but the personality shining in his aquamarine eyes so very different, his oceanic composure so uncanny in a child. At 46, he was about the same age now as Efram when Yuuri met him, shoulder high on petite Wolfram. He was as quiet and beautiful, as the young Efram had been effervescent and cute. Yes, he'd seen Bertram only weeks ago, but Bertram hadn't seen this Yuuri since he was an infant.

"Try touching him, Bertram, you'll see it's true," suggested Wolfram softly.

Bertram gazed up into Wolfram's emerald eyes and read reassurance there. So, still holding Wolfram tight, he reached out tentatively to touch Yuuri's cheek. At first his face remained solemn, gazing into Yuuri's eyes. Then it crumpled in tears, and he flung himself into Yuuri's arms. "It_ is_ you, Yuuri Otousan!"

"Yeah, it is me. Oh, I love you, Bertram. I'm so sorry I scared everybody. But I'm really back."

There were lots of hugs, all around. Wolfram just barely managed to get his eyes wiped when they'd start overflowing again. Once Bertram accepted him, Yuuri didn't allow himself to be detached from Wolfram again – he held hands, or put an arm around him, or stood behind with his hands on Wolfram's hips, but he wouldn't let go.

Günter burst in, crying, "Wolfram heika! The body of Yuuri heika is missing!"

"No, Günter old friend – it's right here," said Yuuri, smiling. Then Günter threw his arms around him, too, only to be detached promptly by Wolfram. Frustrated in his attempted embrace, Günter called down the hall to bring Conrad and Gwendal at a run, who instantly threw their arms around Yuuri as well.

"Ah, Günter?" Yuuri interrupted all this. "Have the dispatches gone out yet? Telling people I'm dead? Could we retrieve those, maybe?"

"Ah! The ones to all the Lords were sent yesterday. Several have probably already received them. But the ones overseas just left an hour ago on the courier ship – Lady Cecilie…?"

Cheri smiled and nodded. "I'll go get those back for you. I'll send new ones right away to reassure Greta and Frieda, hm?" And she walked off quickly.

"Bertram," said Yuuri, grinning broadly. "You know, I started something yesterday I'd like to finish. Could you help me build a snow fort?"

Efram laughed, and said, "I'll help, Wimpue." Wolfram nodded, too.

Bertram nodded enthusiastically. He barely remembered a Yuuri young enough to play in the snow with him. "And Yuuri Otousan? Can I stay home from school the rest of the year and… get to know you again?"

"I'd like that very, very much, Bertram."

-oOo-

Yuuri died again 30 years later. He had asked if at all possible, that no one tell Wolfram until he'd been dead at least 24 hours, and they managed that. Wolfram knew what had happened, of course, when his lover returned aged 18 again, in damp shorts and leather sandals. But he was ever so grateful that Günter spared him the half day's worry that _this_ time, Yuuri might not come back.

Wolfram hadn't aged a bit, though Bertram was a young man by then.

Years later, Yuuri and Wolfram died in each other's arms, in a cave-in. The phoenix didn't return then, for there was no grief left to redeem. Mazoku were certain that when lovers died near each other in time, still in love, they would always be reborn to find each other and resume their love. If any Mazoku were born remembering that they had lived before as the glorious Yuuri and Wolfram, they wouldn't have said anything.

Shinou's temple no longer offering an opinion, the Eleven Lords of Shin Makoku unanimously selected Bertram von Bielenfeld as their next Maou.

-oOo-

The End.

-oOo-

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